Ballot Issue Backers Call For Drug Treatment Over Prison

Backers of Issue 1 say the proposed constitutional amendment will move Ohio in the right direction in fighting the opioid crisis. But opponents say the move will weaken law enforcement.

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Shakyra Diaz with Crime Survivors for Safety and Justice, a crime victim advocacy group, says Issue 1 will help the state cut down on the prison population and divert the money saved into treatment and rehabilitation programs.

“We don’t have enough treatment options because so much of our public resources are going towards this growing prison system that is housing people who do not pose a public safety risk,” Diaz said.

The statewide ballot measure would amend the state constitution by reducing penalties for nonviolent drug-related crimes.

Opponents say this will weaken law enforcement and take leverage away from prosecutors. They also argue these are changes that should be addressed through policy, not the constitution.

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Velva Poole has spent about 20 years as a social worker, mostly in Louisville, Ky. She's seen people ravaged by methamphetamines and cocaine; now it's mostly opioids. Most of her clients are parents who have lost custody of their children because of drug use. Poole remembers one mom in particular.

"She had her kids removed the first time for cocaine. And then she had actually gotten them back," she says. But three months later, the mother relapsed and overdosed on heroin.